Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall slammed his side’s defensive frailties after a 2-1 home defeat to WSL rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

With pressure already mounting on the Swede following the 0-0 draw with Everton last weekend and a 5-2 hammering at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Arsenal found themselves behind after just four minutes after Mayra Ramirez’s acrobatic finish.

Having already exhibited some early defensive flaws, Sandy Baltimore’s unmarked header at the back post just 12 minutes later cranked up the tension in front of nearly 46,000 fans.

Caitlin Foord’s excellent finish just prior to the break halved the deficit, but the Gunners ultimately fell short in their pursuit of turning the game on its head.

When asked about the performance in the first half and whether he had concerns about his side’s form going into a crucial Champions League game on Wednesday, Eidevall said: “We conceded four goals from corners now in two games. That’s not sustainable if you want to be a top team.

“The way we defend the cross on their second goal is obviously not good enough either. It’s, maybe, particularly frustrating because it’s not how the pattern looks in the game. It’s a one-off situation in the game, and of course you’re playing against a top team, and that’s enough to make that mistake, and they’re going to punish that.”

Down 2-0 after less than 20 minutes played, the atmosphere inside the stadium shifted to apprehension rather than the striking sound of support the Gunners’ fans usually give to the players.

But Eidevall refused to criticise the Arsenal faithful and was clear in his assessment of how his team responded to adversity.

“I think the players showed incredible character and incredible heart in getting back from such a difficult start,” he added.

“Imposing our way of playing, finding our way back into the game again together with amazing support from the stands. I think we, deservedly, scored a goal, and certainly had chances to score the second goal as well. The players are working extremely hard to get those inches right, but unfortunately, we got the inches on the wrong side.”

While concerns about Arsenal’s ability to defend their own goal effectively continue to grow, the final actions at the other end of the pitch have shown a clear lack of confidence in recent weeks, with Alessia Russo and Beth Mead struggling for form in attack.

“They worked extremely hard to get the inches on the right side, and if we don’t get it, then it’s the inches on the final pass, the inches on the finishing,” said Eidevall when asked about the lack of quality in Chelsea’s box.

“The effort I can’t fault, and as I said, we created chances to score the second goal as well. Unfortunately, we don’t.”

Despite boos at the full-time whistle, the Gunners boss still feels as if his side have the quality to go all this season in the WSL, although he admitted this latest setback will do nothing for the collective confidence.

“It certainly doesn’t help with league-winning ambitions,” a tense Eidevall said.

“But it doesn’t change the perspective that you need to go game by game and you need to do your absolute best in every single game, but there is no point in hiding away from reality and saying that it’s a bad start to the season.”

When asked if he believed his position was secure, Eidevall replied: "I gave absolutely everything in preparation for this game. I think you can see the players gave absolutely everything on the pitch.

"That's the part you can control as a coach. That’s the part you can control and ask for from your players as well. Just like the last match, I need to focus on the things I can control.”